Web Design in Barstow, Texas

What a web designer should know about Barstow

Mining, oil and gas account for 23.0% of the employer establishments in Ward County, far more than the national share. Energy work brings contractors, trucking, equipment rental and housing demand that rise and fall with the industry. Safety credentials and certifications should be on the page, not just mentioned on the phone.

Barstow on the map

Barstow’s nearest neighbors are Town of Pecos (9 miles), Pyote (17 miles) and Monahans (23 miles). With 384 residents per square mile on 0.7 square miles of land, Barstow is moderately dense by Texas standards. For flights, Pecos Municipal Airport (PEQ) lies 8.7 miles away. A 25-mile radius around Barstow takes in 5 other municipalities. The nearest large city is Odessa, 68 miles to the northeast. If you serve more than one town, your website can have a service area page that names each of them, so a customer in Wickett or Pyote sees right away that you cover them.

Climate normals for 1991-2020 from Pecos, 15 miles away, put the June average high at 98°F and the January average low at 30°F. Precipitation totals about 10 inches a year, with September the wettest month. About 146 days a year hit 90°F or more. Long, hot summers mean steady work for AC repair, pool care and pest control, and nobody waits when the AC stops. Seasonal updates helps: new hours, a seasonal service, a storm notice, sent by email and included in the monthly fee.

Reading the Barstow customer

The county around Barstow, Ward County, counts 11,125 residents and 6 cities and towns. At the county level, where the estimates are more precise: broadband reaches 88.8% of homes, and 20.1% of households are online only through a phone plan. 78.5% of households own their home.

The city of Barstow in numbers

Businesses in and around Barstow

From the 2023 county count for Ward County:

• Hotels and motels, 14 in the count. What works online: rooms, photos, location and a contact form, so travelers can compare you outside the booking apps.
• Site preparation contractors, 7 in the count. What works online: the equipment you run, the kinds of jobs you take and a contact form for builders and owners.
• Coffee shops and snack bars, 6 in the count. What works online: what you serve, when you open and where to park.
• Insurance agencies, 5 in the count. What works online: the lines you write (auto, home, business, life), the carriers you work with and a quote request form.

County-wide, Ward County counts 339 businesses with employees and 857 self-employed or nonemployer businesses (2023). Ward County has far more than the national share of oilfield and mining support companies: 61 of them in the 2023 count. In that line of work, field crews and operators hire on short notice, so the website should show services by type, equipment, certifications and the area you cover.

Texas rules to know before your website goes live

A few rules apply to any Barstow business that sells or advertises online:

• Texas charges a 6.25% state sales and use tax, and local jurisdictions may add up to 2%, for a maximum combined rate of 8.25%. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
• Ward County and the City of Barstow may each charge a local business tax; ask both before you open. Official source
• Out-of-state sellers have to collect Texas sales tax once they reach the state threshold: $500,000 or more in total Texas revenue in the preceding twelve calendar months (sellers below that stay inside the safe harbor). 34 Tex. Admin. Code Section 3.286

This is general information, not legal advice. Your county, your city hall or an attorney can confirm what applies to you.

Affordable web design for Barstow, done remotely

Based in Curitiba, Brazil, Aria has been building business websites since 2008. There is no Aria office in Barstow, and you don’t need one: sign-up, material and approval all happen online.

1. Sign up online in about 5 minutes; the logo, photos and texts you already have go by email.
2. Within 5 business days you get a temporary link with the whole website, built with your logo, colors and photos.
3. Once you approve it, the first monthly fee is issued and the website goes live on your domain.

After launch, changes to text, photos and prices are requested by email and are part of the monthly fee; quick questions go by email too.